When it comes to social proof, we think alike

by: Joe Swatek

As a financial services marketing professional, your job is to persuade likely prospects to open new accounts and take advantage of services at your institution.

That description almost makes it sound simple. Of course, you know it isn’t.

There are methods you can use to reach that goal. They were explained years ago in the book, Influence, The Psychology of Persuasion, written by marketing master Robert Cialdini.

One of Cialdini’s six tool of persuasion he described in the book is Social Proof.

Social Proof goes by a variety of names, some not so flattering, but the concept is easy to grasp. The idea works all around us, not only with advertising. Through some sort of influence, people conform to a group idea or, in advertising, choose a particular product.

You probably know an individual or family who always drive the same make of car. They might be Ford people or Chevy owners. Maybe they go so far as preferring a particular model, like the Mustang. These people are following Social Proof. Because the grandfather or father or someone with influence claimed one make of car was the best, all the others follow suit.

continue reading »